Mayfield Heights Has Reverse 911 Service

now has a service Mayor Gregory Costabile said he's been wanting to provide since 2006.

"At that time it cost more than $50,000," he said of a telephone messaging service to alert residents of emergencies. Now, for $8,700 a year, the city signed a contract for Code Red, also known as a reverse 911 system.

"We'll be able to send messages to businesses and residents about emergencies issues or anything pertinent for residents to know," Costabile said.

There will be an icon on the city's website that residents can click to provide their address and telephone number to be added to the service. Costabile said people can use a landline or cellphone number.

"We have about 8,600 telephone numbers in the system already," he added.

He said the service can be used to let residents know if there is work being done on their street or let them know that the city is aware of flooding problems, as was the case in some parts of the city on Monday.

The service also allows the city to send text messages and emails, which may be used to update players about conditions of baseball and softball fields, for example.